Canopy Cultural Practices to Reduce Accumulation of Thatch in Ultradwarf Bermudagrass Putting Greens.

The dense and aggressive growth habit of ultradwarf bermudagrass often results in excessive thatch accumulation, which can adversely affect turfgrass health and functionality. Vertical mowing and grooming are often used as components of thatch management programs. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of canopy cultural practices on soil physical properties and turfgrass quality of an ultradwarf bermudagrass putting green. This study was conducted on a one year old ‘TifEagle’ bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon X traansvalensis Burtt-Davy) putting green at the East Tennessee Research and Education Center in Knoxville, TN.  All plots were mowed daily at 3.1 mm, topdressed bi-weekly throughout the growing season, and irrigated to prevent stress.  The study was initiated in July 2008 with plots receiving treatments of daily grooming, weekly light vertical mowing, a combination of both, or an untreated control. Thatch depth, organic matter concentration in the top 2.5 cm of the soil, turfgrass quality, and topdressing incorporation were measured. The combination of grooming and vertical mowing reduced thatch depth, organic matter concentration, and turfgrass quality over all treatments, but increased topdressing incorporation. Grooming alone reduced thatch depth similar to the combination of grooming and vertical mowing, incorporated less topdressing material than vertical mowing and the combination, but yielded the highest turf quality. The untreated control incorporated the least amount of sand topdressing and had the highest amount thatch and organic matter. Although daily grooming and weekly vertical mowing improved soil physical properties, weekly vertical mowing maybe to aggressive for sustained use.